Downtown traffic to be studied

ELMHURST — The Elmhurst City Council voted Monday for a $33,600 study to see if York Street should be two-way throughout the central retail district.

Civiltech Engineering Inc. of Itasca will conduct the study, which will analyze driving patterns downtown. Traffic counts will start in September, after local schools reopen and the expanded Jewel store on Schiller Street reopens, 1st Ward Ald. Paul Fichtner said.

Civiltech will use computer modeling programs to predict seasonal changes in traffic patterns, as well as to gauge the impact of closing Margaret Street could have on downtown traffic flow. The new public library proposed for the northwest corner of Wilder Park would be built over Margaret Street. Officials expect the study to be finished by December.

The city will hold public forums during the study to get residents' ideas, Mayor Thomas Marcucci said.

"We've had other studies on downtown traffic, especially in regards to making York a two-way street between Park and 2nd Streets," he said. "Those studies answered the question of what's the best way to move traffic through downtown. I hope this study tells us what's the best traffic pattern to let people find downtown Elmhurst and find all the wonderful stores we have."